Jury shown shocking CCTV of moment Mason Miller was fatally stabbed at Northampton spark
A jury was shown shocking CCTV footgae of the moment Mason Miller was fatally stabbed at a Northampton park.
Jurors have watched CCTV footage of the moments Mason Miller was fatally stabbed at a Northampton skate park, with a detective admitting it was “very difficult” to see who was striking whom during parts of the confrontation.
Mason Miller, 20, died after being stabbed during an alleged two-against-two machete fight at Briar Hill Skate Park, at around 3.30pm on February 18, 2026.
Three defendants, aged 16, 17 and 18, are standing trial at Northampton Crown Court. All deny murder and manslaughter.
On Monday October 19 jurors watched footage recorded by a house overlooking the park, showing the four males approaching one another before the fatal confrontation.
Detective Constable Charlotte Orr, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit in Northampton, analysed the footage and told the court she had watched it hundreds of times, including in slow motion as part of her investigation,
The court heard the 16-year-old and 17-year-old defendants arrived on electric bikes before getting off and approaching Mason and the 18-year-old.
The footage showed the four males moving closer together before pausing briefly.
DC Orr identified what appeared to be a machete in the 16-year-old’s hands, describing it as a “shiny object”. Mason also appeared to be carrying a machete, according to DC Orr.
The footage appeared to show the 16-year-old lunging forward before Mason fell. Mason got back up before falling again, later lying on his back and appearing to struggle to stand.
Benjamin Aina KC, representing the 16-year-old, questioned DC Orr about what could be seen as Mason went to the ground.
Asked whether it was difficult to see if the 16-year-old was doing anything at that point, DC Orr agreed.
She said: “From what I’ve seen in the CCTV there is a point when Mason, the 16-year-old and the 17-year-old are overlapping one another and it’s very difficult to see.”
Mr Aina then asked whether the 16-year-old was the first to leave after Mason fell. DC Orr replied: “Yes.”
She agreed the 16-year-old rode away, leaving the 17-year-old at the scene trying to get back onto his bike.
DC Orr said the 16-year-old appeared to loop around further away, seemingly waiting for the 17-year-old before the pair left together via Hunsbarrow Road.
Maria Karaiskos, representing the 18-year-old, questioned DC Orr about the sequence of events involving her client.
DC Orr agreed the footage showed the two pairs approaching each other before pausing for a couple of seconds.
Asked whether the 18-year-old took a step backwards, she replied: “Yes.”
She was then questioned about whether he was stabbed as he moved backwards and whether he may have been stabbed again while on the ground.
DC Orr said: “Potentially yes, the footage is quite hard to make out.”
The 18-year-old was seen on the ground during the confrontation, appearing to attempt to get up before falling again.
He had also suffered life-threatening injuries in a separate machete incident in April 2025, including a depressed skull fracture, brain tissue damage and a deep neck wound that caused what a paramedic described as verging on catastrophic blood loss.
Opening the prosecution case last week, Mark Heywood KC said the four young men were involved in a two-against-two machete fight.
He said: “The prosecution case is that it was the other two defendants, aged 16 and 17, who murdered Mason and attempted to murder the 18-year-old, and that although in this sense the 18-year-old was a victim of the violence inflicted on him, he is also guilty of the murder of Mason Miller.
“The 16-year-old and 17-year-old were on one side. The 18-year-old and Mason on the other. Each would have had their own different hopes for the outcome, but all four, including Mason Miller, shared one common purpose: to trade blows with their machetes, the two on one side intending to kill, or at least to cause the two on the other side really serious harm, and each aware that the two on the other side intended the same towards them.
“CCTV footage and eyewitness evidence shows that each was as willing to fight as the others. This is not a case, we say, where self-defence or the defence of another arises.”
The prosecution alleges an earlier machete incident in April 2025 involving the 16-year-old and 18-year-old forms part of the background to the later violence.
The trial continues.
The charges
April 2025 incident
Count 1 – 16-year-old: Wounding the 18-year-old with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Not guilty.
Count 2 – 18-year-old: Attempting to wound the 16-year-old with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Not guilty.
Count 3 – 16-year-old: Possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. Not guilty.
The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to a separate offensive weapon charge relating to this incident. It is not before the jury.
February 2026 incident
Count 4 – All three defendants: Murder of Mason Miller. All pleaded not guilty.
Count 5 – All three defendants: Manslaughter as an alternative to murder. All pleaded not guilty.
Count 6 – 16-year-old and 17-year-old: Attempted murder of the 18-year-old. Both pleaded not guilty.
Count 7 – 16-year-old and 17-year-old: An alternative to Count 6, alleging attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Both pleaded not guilty.
Count 8 – 16-year-old: Possessing an offensive weapon, the machete he allegedly carried during the February incident. Not guilty.
Count 9 – 17-year-old: Possessing an offensive weapon, the machete he allegedly carried during the February incident. Not guilty.
The 18-year-old also pleaded guilty to a separate offensive weapon charge relating to the February incident. It is not before the jury.
The trial is expected to last six weeks.